Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. – Lou Holtz LODD’s: Dec 17, 2008 Volunteer fire fighter sitting in his parked vehicle warning oncoming traffic of a motor vehicle incident was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer – Montana.

During the cold, winter morning of December 16, 1944 over 200,000 German troops, supported by close to 1,000 tanks, attacked Allied forces along a 75 mile front in the Ardennes Forest. This proved to be Adolph Hitler’s final attempt to stop the Allied advance into Germany and became known as The Battle of the Bulge. […]

No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it. – Andrew Carnegie LODD’s: Dec 15, 2013 Career fire lieutenant killed by roof/ceiling collapse during overhaul – Georgia. F2003-29 Dec 15, 2002 Fire fighter suffers heart attack at the scene of a structure […]

Time for a local history lesson. It often seems that there must be a tragedy to be a catalyst for change. This was one of those tragedies. On December 14, 1989 a fire in the Shenandoah Homes “Retirement Facility” on Hawthorn Rd. in Roanoke County, VA killed 4 residents. There were many “Key Issues” that […]

Good health is not something we can buy. However, it can be an extremely valuable savings account. – Anne Wilson Schaef All four of today’s NIOSH reports are from cardiac related issues. Take care of yourselves and each other! Dec 13, 2009 Captain dies after extremely heavy physical exertion at building fire from complications of […]

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. – George S. Patton LODD’s: Dec 12, 1998 Assistant chief dies as a result of a cardiorespiratory arrest at the scene of a search and rescue operation – New Jersey.

Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there. – Bo Jackson LODD’s: Another date without a NIOSH reported LODD. But again, Firefighterclosecalls.com reports several from the early to middle 1900’s.

Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard, and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you. These are not cliches but real tools you need no matter what you do in life to stay focused on your path. – Phillip Sweet […]

NIOSH has reports for 3 similar LODD’s today since 2014. If similar LODD’s can occur in three different states, I think we should take note and review the incidents and try to prevent it from happing again! LODD’s: F2018-18 Dec 09, 2018 Career firefighter dies after becoming disoriented in a three-story apartment building – Massachusetts. […]

Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine. – […]